Combination plastic and metal eyeglass frame construction



C. CASTELLI CO BINATION PLASTIC AND M L EYEGL RAME Fi Nov Nov. 17, 1953 CONSTRUCT 15, 1950 C/mus CAsraL/ CW 2h. 03m

4rroe/viy Patented Nov. 17, 1953 COMBINATION PLASTIC AND METAL EYE- GLASS FRAME CONSTRUCTION Charles Castelli, Union City, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Columbia Protektosite Co. Inc., Carlstadt, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application November 15, 1950, Serial No. 195,753

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of eyeglass frames, and more particularly is directed to an improved combination eyeglass frame construction formed of plastic material and metal, the latter being partly embedded and partly exposed to provide eyeglass frames with lens carrier portions of novel pleasing appearance.

Among objects of the invention is to generally improve constructions of the character described which shall comprise few and simple parts that are readily assembled to form rugged yet neat and attractive appearing combination plastic and exposed metal portions, which improved construction shall provide ready means for securing, interchanging and replacing lens, which shall be capable of withstanding rough usage, which improved combination construction shall be formed of plastic molded material with metal portions partly embedded and partly exposed in the lens carrier portions thereof adapted to form ornamental structures of appealing fashionable effect, which shall be relatively cheap to manufacture in quantity production and which shall be practical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists of features of constructions, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter disclosed, the

'scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims following.

In the accompanying drawing in which one embodiment of the invention is shown,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an im-' proved eyeglass having a combination frame formed of plastic material and metal, the latter being partly embedded and partly exposed and constructed to embody the invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are top and side elevational views, respectively, of the eyeglass construction shown in Fig. 1, end portions of the temple bars thereof being shown broken off.

Fig. 4 is an exploded front elevational view of the eyeglass construction shown in Fig. 1 with the parts arranged in an aligned position ready for assembly.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary crosssectional views showing details of the construction taken on lines 5-5, 6-6 and 11 in Fig. 1, respectively. In Fig. 7 are shown details of embedding the channel sectioned metal portion of the frame into the plastic nose bridge portion.

- Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sec- 2 tional view of a frame end portion taken on lines 8-8 in Fig. 2 showing the anchorage of a metal end.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of the improved eyeglass construction embodying the invention showing nose pads molded as extension of the plastic frame portion, and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line illi0 in Fig. 9 showing in detail the embedding of the metallic portion in the plastic wall of the nose bridge.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 2!] denotes an eyeglass construction havin a combination frame formed with a brow bar 2i formed of suitable molded plastic material such as polystyrene, nylon or the like having partly embedded and retained in nose bridge region Zia thereof a midbight portion 22a of a metallic strip lens carrier 22, constructed to embody the invention.

When brow bar 2i is manufactured of polystyrene by injection molding in quantity production, said brow bar 2| may be shaped to conform to a predetermined contour of a wide range of styles as fashion requires and has integrally extending in opposite directions from said nose bridge region Zia, symmetrically disposed lens holders 2 lb. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, said lens holders 2i b may extend slightly upwardly and outwardly with respect to said nose bridge Zia, and each of said lens holders 2 lb may have a recessed edge groove 2 lo extending therealong with portion of said lens holders 2| inwardly of the ends thereof and adjacent the nose bridge region Zia curved so that grooves 2lc conform for having neatly fitted therein the normally upper edges of the lens L as is clear from Figs. 1, 4 and 5.

Each of the opposite free ends 2 id of lens holder 2ib may terminate in an integrally molded hinge fittin portion 2Ie which as is clear from Figs. 1 and 3 cooperate with an end 23a of a temple bar 23 to form a swingable connection in the well understood manner.

As seen from Figs. 1, 4 and 7, nose bridge region 2m may also be provided with an edge groove 2 if disposed to register in alignment with and form a continuation of c said lens holder grooves 2ic, the latter each terminating in slotted ends 2ig in which the opposite end 22b of strip lens carrier 22 are anchored as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 8 and hereinafter more fully described.

Lens carrier 22 may be made of any suitable strip metal such as steel, brass, nickel or other suitable alloy to form a relatively stiff shape retaining structure yet sufficiently resilient to conform to minor irregularity or slight differences in sizes or shapes. Strip lens carrier 22 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may be of channel cross-section to provide a cradle for embracing sides and bottom edges of lens L, said strip carrier 22 being bent with the channelling thereof positioned and disposed for conforming to curve ended grooves 2|c whereby the lens L are embraced in clamped position in eyeglas assembly as is clear from Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 6. Said strip carrier 22 is thus seen to include when bent as above described loop portions 220 spaced apart by said mid-bight portion 22a with said terminating ends 22!) pierced to provide passage of suitable fastening means, such as screws 24 for anchoring said lens carrier 22 in slotted ends 2|g to said brow bar free ends 2|d as shown in Fig. 8.

One feature of the invention is to provide an improved securing attachment of the lens carrier mid-bight portion 22a, that is, an embedding in the brow bar nose bridge region 2 |a. To this end edge groove 2| ,f in said nose bridge region 2 I a may be made sufficiently deep to allow rim edges 2 I h of said grooves 2 If to extend therebeyond so that when mid-bight portion 220 is seated in said groove 2 I i, said rim edges 2|h may be. while still in a plastic state, curled over from the dotted to the full line positions shown in Fig. 7. Said improved embedding attachment as thus formed partially embraces the strip lens carrier portion 22a yet leaves the nose contacting surface of the assembled eyeglass 20 in a finished bearing state.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 eyeglass 20 is shown with a pair of nose pads 25 mounted along said midbight portion 22a in any conventional manner.

If desired a modified form of the invention of eyeglass assembly as denoted in Fig. 9 as eyeglass frame may be made and assembled like eyeglass 20 above described except that nose pads may be integrally molded as part of brow bar 3|. Said pads 35 are thus extended as spaced fins down along mid-bight portion 32a of strip lens carrier 32, and said mid-bight portion 32a embedded in groove 3|) for firm attachment by infolded edge rims 3|h of said grooves 3|! in the same manner as described above for the eyeglass frame assembly 20 and as shown in Fig. 10.

The practical utility of the invention will now be apparent. After the brow bars 2| or 2| have been molded to provide a structure as shown in Figs. 4 or 9, respectively, and strip lens carriers 22 or 32 have been bent from channel section material to conform to the desired shape required by lenses L, the parts may be arranged in registered alignment as shown in Fig. 4 and said strip lens carriers 22 or 32 assembled to brow bars 2| or 3| so that the lenses L are clamped therebetween. The rim edges 2|h or Uh of grooves 2|f or 3|! may be bent inwardly to clamp the mid-bight portions 22a or 32a of the strip lens carrier 22 or 32, respectively, thereby clamping and embedding the said bight portions 22a or 32a permanently in position. The inwardly bending of said rim edge portions 22a or 32a are produced while said rim edges 2|h or tlh are in a plastic state and held firmly in position until cooled and set as is clear from Figs. 1. 7, 9 and 10. Thereafter screws 24 may be inserted into pierced ends 22b and threaded into the brow bar end 2 lb as shown in Fig. 8 thereby flrmU retaining the lenses L in the frames 20 or 80 as shown in Figs. 1 and 9. The temple bars 22 may then be assembled in proper swinging position by pivoting temple bar end 23a to the hinge fitting portion 2 le as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. When assembled as above described there are provided improved eyeglass constructions having a composite frame of plastic molded material and metal, part of the metal being embedded into the plastic molded material so that the lenses L may be replaced or changed by simply removing the screws 24 and slipping the lenses L out or replacing the same with other lenses L, the lens holder 220 being sufiiciently resilient to permit said bending without permanent distorting from said desired shape.

With the grooved brow bars 2| or 3| and the channeled strip lens carrier 22 or 22 as above described slight irregularities or differences in size of edge contour of lenses L will not interfere with making practical rigid neat appearing assembled structures.

It will thus be seen that there are provided improved eyeglass constructions of the character described whereby the several objects of this invention are achieved and which are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An eyeglass frame construction comprising a single metallic resilient lens carrier means, a one-piece plastic brow bar assembled to extend over said carrier means, a mid-portion of said brow bar enveloping a section of said carrier means for embedding-1y anchoring the same thereto, and releasable fastening means terminating said brow bar and carrier means for selectively securing lenses positioned therebetween, said brow bar having a continuous recessed edge groove with a portion of the latter serving as said carrier means enveloping section, edge rims of said enveloping section groove extending in a bent clamping position to provide the embedded anchoring for said carrier means section.

2. -An eyeglass frame construction comprising a single relatively thin resilient metallic lens carrier of channel cross-section bent into a pair of lens supporting loop portions spaced apart by a mid-bight portion, a one-piece plastic brew bar assembled to extend over said lens carrier. said brow bar being formed with a continuous recessed edge groove, said mid-bight portion of the lens carrier being positioned in a mid-portion of said 'brow bar groove. edge rims of said groove extending in a bent clamping position enveloping said lens carrier mid-bight portion or embeddingly anchoring the latter therein, and releasable fastening means terminating said brow bar and lens carrier for selectively securing lenses positioned therebetween, said fastening means including screw members passing through opposite ends of the lens carrier for securing said opposite ends in place to rigidly retain the lenses and for releasing said opposite ends to permit flexing to insert said lenses insaid therebetween position.

3. An eyeglass frame construction comprising a single relatively thin resilient metallic lam carrier bent into a pair of lens supporting loop portions spaced apart by a mid-bright portitm.

a one-piece plastic brow bar assembled to extend over said lens carrier, said brow bar being formed with a continuous recessed edge groove, said mid-bight portion of the lens carrier being positioned in a mid-portion of said brow bar groove, edge rims of said groove extending in a. bent clamping position enveloping said lens carrier mid-bight portion for embeddingly anchoring the latter therein, and means for releasably securing opposite ends of the lens carrier to the brow bar to provide for easy insertion and removal of lenses between the brow bar and lens carrier.

CHARLES CASTELLI.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Reagan Aug. 7, 1917 Chappell Sept. 7, 1943 DUrbano July 31, 1945 Crane June 20, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 25, 1934 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1935 

